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Hazardous Area Electric Motor Paper PDF
Hazardous Area Electric Motor Paper PDF
Hazardous Area Electric Motor Paper PDF
E
lectric motors can pose a serious threat when they are example, are often considered Class I hazardous locations
operated in environments that contain combustible due to the presence of gaseous hydrocarbons.
materials. Arcs, sparks, and even high temperatures Class II locations contain dust that is either electrically
generated on the surfaces of motors can ignite hazardous conductive or could be explosive when mixed with air.
substances and cause an explosion. Consequences may Although a substance such as flour may seem harmless,
range in severity from minor process downtime to serious when it is distributed in air at a high enough concentration,
injury and even death. the resulting airborne mixture can be extremely explosive.
Avoiding explosions is a matter of selecting the proper Aluminum and magnesium dusts, which are electrically
motor for a given hazardous environment. This requires conductive, will burn when in a consolidated mass, but are
four key pieces of information about the application: the potentially explosive when suspended in air.
class, division, and group classification of the environment, Class III locations are characterized by the presence
and the autoignition temperature (AIT) of the hazardous of easily ignitable filings and flyings. Typical in industries
material in question. This article provides an overview such as textiles, these materials are too heavy to remain
of hazardous area designations and the motor features suspended in air and therefore tend to settle. If they accu-
required for such areas. (Determining the proper area clas- mulate around heat-producing electrical equipment such as
sification for a specific environment is a complicated issue a motor, they can ignite. Class III hazardous locations are
and is beyond the scope of this discussion.) encountered less frequently in the chemical process indus-
tries than the other two classes and generally only in a few
Classify the operating area specific sectors. For this reason, the selection of motors for
In North America, hazardous classifications are defined Class III areas is not discussed in this article.
by the National Electrical Code (NEC) (1) and the Canadian Division. While class is determined by the type of
Electrical Code (CEC) (2). The codes also stipulate require- material present, division describes the conditions under
ments for the design and labeling of motors that are allowed which the material is present. A Division 1 location is
to operate in these environments. one in which an explosive or ignitable material is pres-
Class. The NEC and the CEC define three classes of ent under normal operating conditions. The material need
hazardous locations based on the type of material present. not be present at all times, but it will be present at least
A Class I location contains flammable gases or vapors in intermittently during normal operations. Division 1 loca-
sufficient quantities in the atmosphere to pose a risk of tions include, for instance, environments where explosive
explosion or ignition. Petroleum processing facilities, for materials are routinely exposed to the atmosphere during
18 www.aiche.org/cep November 2011 CEP Copyright © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
regular operation and scheduled maintenance. In contrast, explosion is not a simple task, as it requires careful consid-
in Division 2 locations, hazardous substances are handled eration of the strength of the materials used in the enclosure
or stored only under abnormal conditions, such as a con- and the motor hardware.
tainment failure that results in a leak or spill. If an explosion does occur within the motor, hot gases
Group. Class I and Class II locations are further divided must be able to escape after an initial buildup of pressure
into groups based on the behavior of the hazardous material upon ignition. The second characteristic of explosion-proof
after it has been ignited. Groups A, B, C, and D are used for
Class I environments, Groups E, F, and G for Class II areas. Table 1. Examples of different groups and classes of
Group A includes only acetylene, a colorless hydro- materials with their autoignition temperatures.
carbon gas that creates an intense explosion when ignited. Autoignition
Group D, in contrast, contains such materials as ammonia Temperature
Hazardous
and propane. Although both acetylene and propane are haz-
Class Group Material °C °F
ardous, the former will react more violently when ignited.
I A Acetylene 305 581
Table 1 provides some examples of the hazardous materials
included in each group. B Butadiene 420 788
Autoignition temperature. The fourth piece of infor- Ethylene Oxide 570 1,058
mation needed to select motors for hazardous locations is Hydrogen 500 932
the autoignition temperature (also known as the minimum C Acetaldehyde 175 347
ignition temperature or kindling point) of the hazardous
Cyclopropane 498 928
material. The AIT refers to the minimum temperature at
which there is sufficient energy for a chemical to ignite Diethyl Ether 180 356
spontaneously, even without a spark, flame, or other Ethylene 450 842
source of ignition. Isoprene 398 743
The theoretical AITs of hazardous materials are deter- D Acetone 465 869
mined through standard testing procedures. In practice,
Ammonia 651 1,204
however, actual AITs may vary significantly from pub-
lished values because AIT is largely affected by several Benzene 498 928
factors, including oxygen concentration, pressure, and Butane 287 550
system volume. Therefore, literature values of AIT should Ethane 472 882
be considered guides rather than definitive parameters for Ethanol 363 685
the safe operation of electric motors.
Gasoline 246–280 475–536
The AITs of mixtures of hazardous gases cannot easily
be determined. A common solution is to consider only Methane 537 999
the lowest AIT of all the component gases, although this Propane 450 842
approach is likely to be overly conservative. The AITs of Styrene 490 914
various Class I and Class II hazardous materials are pro- II E Aluminum 650 1,202
vided in Table 1.
Bronze 370 698
Motors for use in environments deemed Class I, Divi- Magnesium 620 1,148
sion 1 must be built and labeled as explosion-proof. An Titanium 330 626
explosion-proof motor has several important characteristics. Zinc 630 1,166
First, the motor must be constructed in such a way that it F Coal 610 1,130
will be able to completely contain an internal explosion
G Corn 400 752
without rupturing. It is important to note that an explosion-
proof motor is not necessarily designed to prevent an Nylon 500 932
explosion — only to confine an explosion within its hous- Polyethylene 450 842
ing. In fact, explosion-proof motors are designed under the Sugar 350 662
assumption that over time, the motor’s internal atmosphere Wheat 480 896
will become the same as the hazardous operating envi-
Wheat Flour 380 716
ronment, and an internal motor fault could then cause an
Source: (3, 4).
explosion within the motor. Designing a motor to contain an
Copyright © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) CEP November 2011 www.aiche.org/cep 19
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Table 2. The IEC method of hazardous area classification However, the minimum requirements for Division 2 loca-
uses the same T-codes as the North American method, tions are actually less stringent than those for Division 1 loca-
but omits the subclasses. tions. A totally enclosed, fan-cooled (TEFC) motor, or even
NEC/CEC IEC Maximum Surface Temperature an open, drip-proof (ODP) motor, may be used in a Division
Method Method 2 environment, provided it does not have arc-producing
°C °F
T-Code T-Code
brushes or switching mechanisms, which could act as igni-
T1 T1 450 842 tion sources. If the motor includes a space heater, its surface
T2 T2 300 572 temperature may not exceed 80% of the AIT of the hazardous
T2A 280 536 gas or vapor.
T2B 260 500
The temperature of the motor itself must also be con-
sidered. In practice, this means that in a Class I, Division
T2C 230 446
2 location, three-phase induction motors with sufficiently
T2D 215 419 low surface temperatures and no sparking parts can be used,
T3 200 392 because it is very unlikely that a spark-producing failure will
T3A T3 180 356 occur at the same time that combustible materials are present
T3B 165 329
due to a spill, leak, or other system upset.
One could reasonably conclude, then, that it would be
T3C 160 320
easier to specify an explosion-proof motor for use in a Class
T4 T4 135 275 I, Division 2 location than to convince the authority having
T4A 120 248 jurisdiction over the applicable code that a non-explosion-
T5 T5 100 212 proof motor is suitable. This approach (which has been taken
T6 T6 85 185 by some equipment users in the past) is a safe one, but it
has a significant drawback. Installation costs for labor and
materials may be two to three times more for an explosion-
The next step is identifying an electric motor that meets proof motor than for an equivalent non-explosion-proof one,
the above requirements for use in a Class I, Division 1 depending on the size of the motor.
hazardous location. While the trained eye may be able Article continues on next page
to spot an explosion-proof motor enclosure, determining
exactly what group(s) it is suitable for and the T-code rating
of the motor is more difficult. Fortunately, manufacturers
must supply these motors with nameplates that clearly
display the class and group(s) for which the explosion-proof
motor is appropriate, along with its T-code rating. This
information can be included on the main motor nameplate,
or presented on a separate, nearby nameplate.
An explosion-proof motor used to run a compressor is
shown in Figure 1. The motor is rated for use in a Class I,
Group D location and has a T-code rating of T3B, as illus-
trated by its nameplate in Figure 2. Note that the motor is
also rated for use in a Class II environment.
Copyright © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) CEP November 2011 www.aiche.org/cep 21
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The hazardous location approval and consult Ref. 5. Guidance on hazardous area classification
T-code on a motor’s nameplate apply for dusts (Class II materials) is provided in Ref. 4.
• Plan ahead. Just because a hazardous location can
only when the motor is used in a be described in terms of class, division, and group, does
constant-speed application. not mean that a motor is readily available that meets
its requirements. Group A explosion-proof motors, for
Motors designed for use at variable speeds with VFDs example, cannot be easily obtained because applications
are called inverter-duty motors. Inverter-duty motors can necessitating their use are relatively rare. In such a case,
withstand signal distortions and low rotational speeds with- you must work with the authority having jurisdiction to
out overheating. Unfortunately, the selection of a variable- find a motor that is suitable.
speed motor for use in a hazardous location is not simply • Do not overdesign. Avoid the temptation to select
a matter of choosing one suitable for Class I or Class II as an explosion-proof motor for all Class I environments.
described previously. The hazardous location approval and Explosion-proof motors exceed the minimum requirements
T-code on a motor’s nameplate apply only when the motor for Class I, Division 2 and can be significantly more expen-
is used in a constant-speed application. For variable-speed sive. The same argument applies to dust-ignition-proof
operation, inverter-duty motor and VFD combinations motors in Class II, Division 2 locations.
require a hazardous location approval of their own. The • Safety first. Safety should be a primary concern
hazardous locations for which the motor is approved when when choosing a motor for use in a hazardous environ-
used with a VFD must be shown separately on a nameplate ment. It is important to understand the implications that
(typically on an auxillary nameplate). different classifications have on the design requirements
For example, consider a motor whose main nameplate of a motor. This knowledge will allow you to provide
shows that the motor is approved by the CSA for use in adequate specifications to the manufacturer and ensure
Class I, Division 2, Groups B, C, and D hazardous loca- that you select a motor that poses minimal risk of a dan-
tions, and it has a T-code rating of T3A. As shown in Table gerous explosion. CEP
2, the motor will develop a maximum surface temperature
of 180°C when used in a constant-speed application. The
same motor is also approved for inverter duty. The auxiliary Literature Cited
nameplate indicates that when the motor is controlled by 1. National Fire Protection Association, “National Electrical
a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) VFD, it is approved for Code,” NFPA 70, NFPA, Quincy, MA (2011).
Class I, Division 2, Groups B, C and D, with a T-code rating 2. Canadian Standards Association, “Canadian Electrical Code,”
of T2A. Thus, when used as an inverter duty motor, the sur- C22.1, CSA, Mississauga, ON (2009).
face temperature will become hotter, reaching a maximum of 3. National Fire Protection Association, “Recommend Practice for
the Classification of Flammable Liquids, Gases, or Vapors and
280°C. If this area contained the Group D material gaso- of Hazardous (Classified) Locations for Electrical Installations in
line, for instance, the motor could only be operated safely Chemical Process Areas,” NFPA 497, NFPA, Quincy, MA (2008).
without the VFD (i.e., in a constant-speed application), as its 4. National Fire Protection Association, “NFPA 499: Recom-
180°C surface temperature would not be sufficient to cause mended Practice for the Classification of Combustible Dusts
spontaneous ignition. However, the motor’s higher surface and of Hazardous (Classified) Locations for Electrical Installa-
tions in Chemical Process Areas,” NFPA 499, NFPA, Quincy,
temperature when paired with the VFD would be sufficient MA (2008).
to cause an explosion of the gasoline. This example demon- 5. Rockwell Automation, “Selecting Explosion-Proof Motors and
strates an important consideration — the use of VFDs may Variable-Frequency Drive Controllers for Hazardous Envi-
be restricted to environments containing hazardous materials ronmental Applications,” Publication No. D-7736, Rockwell
with higher AITs. International Corp., Milwaukee, WI (2000).
Wrap up
UrIah van amerom is a member of the project engineering group at
As discussed in this article, selecting a motor for use in Zeton Inc. (740 Oval Court, Burlington, Ontario, L7L 6A9; Email:
a hazardous location requires more than just motor curves. uvanamerom@zeton.com), a company specializing in the integrated
design and fabrication of lab-scale systems, pilot and demonstration
Here are some quick tips to guide you in this process. plants, and small modular commercial plants for the chemicals, oil
• Classify hazardous area. When an electric motor is to and gas, and alternative fuels industries. He has been involved in all
aspects of providing turnkey, fully automated plants, built to each
be operated in a location that contains hazardous materials, customer’s unique requirements, including basic engineering, detailed
it is the responsibility of the end-user to determine the design, equipment procurement, manufacturing supervision, and
factory testing. He holds a BASc in Mechatronics Engineering from
applicable class, division, and group — which is not an easy the Univ. of Waterloo.
task. For help classifying areas containing Class I materials,
Copyright © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) CEP November 2011 www.aiche.org/cep 23